Secrets on the Water
by Sale and Evans INC
Summary: This is a repost of Lucy Reywood's story- I am AS and have forgotten her login details so have had to update on my own account. For ease of use, I've transferred the whole thing over. I've had a bit of an edit so for any old readers (if you haven't given up on me yet) Chapter 8 has a bit more to it than it used to. Enjoy!
1. Well you were ignoring us

**Hides behind sofa... Ok, so a couple of reviews gave me the kick up the proverbial I needed to get going with this again. Sorry if the change of account confuses anyone- ****it was somewhat unavoidable. **

**Surprising as it may seem, I'm not Arthur Ransome (although I am rather flattered by the assumption). I also don't own S&A.**

The train carrying the Walkers finally pulled up at the station. The four children- if they could be called that, as the youngest was now thirteen, and the oldest eighteen- tumbled out of the door to their compartment, and stood on the platform, looking for someone. Eventually, Titty spotted Captain Nancy Blackett near the entrance to the station, stood with her back to them.

"There she is." She said, excited. "Nancy!" She called out, waving, but she got no response. She called out again as she and her siblings started walking towards their friend, and this time, the others joined in as well, but Nancy still didn't answer them. John rolled his eyes. She'd kill him for it later, but, well, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Ruth!" He hollered suddenly, making the others jump. _That _got her attention. She spun round abruptly, grinned at the others, then treated John to her best Captain Nancy Blackett, Terror of the Seas glare.

"John Henry Walker" she began menacingly. "I thought we'd been through this before. You do NOT call me 'Ruth' except under the most extreme of circumstances. I hate that name, as well you know." John debated backing down- it might be safer for him if he did- but the same spirit that was causing him to apply to the Navy, even when the outbreak of war was imminent would not allow him to back down to a girl, even if that girl was Nancy Blackett in a temper.

"Well you were ignoring us," he replied, getting ready to run if necessary. If looks could kill… "We'd been calling you all the way up the station. It seemed to be the only way to get your attention." He shrugged apologetically. He knew Nancy would calm down quickly on hearing a good reason- her fiery temper was countered by a friendly, outgoing temperament which meant she could never hold a grudge for long so long as the offence had a decent excuse. However, him escaping this encounter unscathed depended on what she classed as a good reason. He noticed the fire in her eyes dying slightly and knew he was off the hook. She kept the glare up for a bit though, but he suspected that that was just for the fun of it. Seventeen year old Nancy Blacketts were expected to behave with more decorum than the twelve year old he had met on his first visit to the lakes. It was probably quite a while since she had been able to get away with really glaring at someone.

His suspicion was confirmed when the frown feel from her face and she grinned at them all.

"Fair enough, I suppose Commodore. I'll let you off this time," she said cheerfully. "Never again though, or I'll keelhaul you, fellow captain or not" Nancy smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she had threatened to keelhaul someone, even Peggy. The older you got, the more rules you had to follow. Mother had even said she had to stop wearing comfortable at the age of eighteen, and change to more feminine, less practical adult clothes, as it wasn't 'seemly' for a young lady of seventeen to be running round in shorts. It still caused a slight scandal now, but she was used to that. Mind you, she was starting to hate the word 'seemly'. It was good to have the Swallows back. A year was too long to go without seeing your best friends and allies, and besides, this was the last chance she had to cause havoc legitimately, so she intended to make the most of it. Next year she was expected to go out into 'society'- no sailing except at weekend, and best frocks every time she went out!

"Come on, let's get back to Beckfoot." She said, snapping out of her reverie. "I brought Swallow and Amazon over, so we could sail back. Peggy's still at home, so I'll take your luggage in Amazon so you can all sail in Swallow for your first time back on the lake this year. I'll need to borrow a member of your crew though Skipper, to help stow the cargo." They walked down to the small harbour in Rio. John himself helped Nancy with the cargo, and Susan smiled to herself as she watched the two of them together, working practically side by side. They'd swear blind they were just best friends if she were to say anything to them, but she often suspected there was more to it than that, even if they themselves had not yet realised it. She caught Titty's eye and the two of them tried not to laugh as they watched Nancy nearly falling into the lake, stopped only by John's hand, and her thanking him with a smile, instead of telling him that she could handle herself thank you very much as she would to anyone else. Titty shared Susan's opinion about the situation, except in that Susan thought that they had plenty of time to work out how they felt about each other, whereas Titty knew that this was not the case, John needed to get his act together if he was going to do anything about Nancy before he entered the Navy. She alone out of all his siblings knew he'd applied and been accepted, and was due to enrol at the end of the Summer. If he waited after that, it might be too late, what with the war that everyone was expecting

There was a fair wind to Beckfoot, so as and when John and Nancy had finished with the luggage, they arrived in good time. Then it was all hands to unload cargo and they headed up to the house. Nancy showed them where they would be sleeping, then they headed down to the garden to greet Peggy and Mrs Blackett.

"Susan!" Peggy cried, as soon as they entered the garden, her face lighting up as she caught sight of her best friend.

"Peggy! My fellow first mate, it has been far too long." Susan replied, her voice full of excitement.

Then, two new voices entered the garden, from behind the hedge.

"Titty!" The voices said, before being followed into the garden by Dick and Dot.

"Dick! Dot!" cried Titty and Roger, hurrying over to greet their friends.

John and Susan looked a little confused, much to Nancy and Peggy's delight. The reason behind this was that, last they'd heard, Dick and Dot couldn't make it to the lakes that year, as their father was coming home from Egypt.

"I thought the D's couldn't make it this year?" John said to Nancy, raising an eyebrow. Nancy quickly explained how Mr. Callum had been called away to a new discovery in Peru, where their mother was to join him, so the D's had come up to visit.

Suddenly, the Swallows' collectively remembered their host, and turned to greet Mrs Blackett. Susan took over this as she was best at that sort of thing.

"Thank you so much for having us to stay Mrs. Blackett." She said politely. After giving them all a hug, Mrs Blackett replied:

"Not at all my dear, not at all. I'm glad you could come, if only to keep my pirates out of trouble. They have yet to work out how to do that for themselves. Now, I must go and see Mrs. Swainson so I'll see you all at dinner. Do try not to be late won't you Nancy dear." She left quickly, and Nancy looked round at the assembled allies.

"Right then, let's go sailing shall we?"


	2. Where on earth is she going to sleep!

**Not mine...**

For the next few hours, the crews of Swallow, Amazon and Scarab sailed round the lake, reminiscing about everything they'd done during the holidays. This then turned into a race to the Arctic, and the result was a very near thing: Amazon won by a hairs breadth, and Scarab only lost by a few centimetres.

They spent a happy hour or so up at the Arctic having a general catch up. Susan and Titty filled Dot and Peggy in on their John/Nancy theory, and the four of them entertained themselves for a while by watching the pair, and deciding that the attraction was obvious. They thought about interfering, but as Titty said that wasn't entirely fair, so they decided to leave it. At this point, Titty saw Dick and Roger heading off to do some exploring and went off to join them. Dot took this opportunity to confide another theory to Susan and Peggy: that of her brother's feelings towards Titty. They agreed that there was something there, something about the way he looked at her when he thought no-one was watching. They also decided not to tell John about this, as he was a far too protective of his little (and truth be told) favourite sister. He could work it out in his own time, which would mean he was less likely to kill Dick first, think about it later.

"Come on you lot," called Nancy suddenly. "Quit gossiping like old women." They jumped guiltily.

"Jib-booms and Bobstays," she added. "Anyone would think it was us you'd been discussing the way you jumped when I called you." The three of them exchanged glances, hoping she wouldn't inquire further into their conversation. It was no use lying to Nancy. She read people surprisingly well for one so blunt. "

Anyway," she continued. "It's time to head back to Beckfoot. Mother will be back soon and we need to freshen up before dinner. We did contemplate best frocks as it's your first night here, but decided that all that would do is make you wonder who we were and what we had done with ourselves, so we thought we'd stick to comfortables."

Peggy snorted.

"Besides," she said. "Can you really imagine us in a dress for anything other than a dance?"Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Okay, me in a dress for something other than a dance, happy now Nance?" They all laughed as they pushed their respective boats off and headed back to Beckfoot.

They arrived fairly soon, and quickly stowed their vessels in the boathouse. They were walking up the garden when they saw Cook hurrying out to meet them.

"Oh, Miss Nancy, thank goodness you're back. A telegram's just come. It's for your mother, but she isn't back yet, so I thought you'd better take it."

"All right Cook, I'm coming. You others go and freshen up. I'll meet you in the sitting room in half an hour. That gives me time to sort out that telegram, and smarten myself up before dinner." They headed up to the house, and the others' heard Nancy pick up the telegram as they headed upstairs. John had just sat down and taken his shoes off, when he heard Nancy's shout echoing up through the house.

"John!" She called. "Peggy!" He ran out of the room he was sharing with Roger and Dick, and nearly collided with Peggy as they both raced for the stairs, alarmed by Nancy's shout. The others were just behind them, and they made it down the stairs in time to hear Nancy say to John and Peggy:

"It's Great Aunt Maria. She's coming here at the end of the week. She's heard the you're here John, and wants to meet you, or so she says. What she really means is that she wants to be beastly to mother about her having you to stay. You'd better watch out if she does come. I wouldn't put it past her to be beastly to you as well. She's got it into her head that you're bad influences on us. Hmph, it's more the other way round. As if Susan could be a bad influence on anybody. Barbecued Billygoats!" she shouted suddenly. "Where on earth is she going to sleep?"


	3. And what would you be interrupting?

**Still not mine...**

Nancy looked round at her assembled friends and wondered what was to happen now. The Swallows and the Ds had the spare rooms, and anyway, there was no way she was letting the Great Aunt meet the Swallows if she could avoid it. She was horrible enough _about _them, so goodness knew what she'd be like if she actually met them. They could be as pleasant and polite as they wanted, nothing would change her opinion. She looked at John, who was whispering to Susan. He felt her eyes on him, and turned round.

"We'll leave," he said, sounding determined.

"No," Nancy replied, equally determined. The others exchanged glances and began to back away slowly trying not to breathe too obviously. Nancy and John were both equally stubborn and loud, so to say arguments between them got a little tense was an understatement.

"Listen to me for a change, Nance." John sighed, wondering if he was wasting his breath but knowing he had to try anyway. "Your Great Aunt hates us. It'll be much easier if we're not here when she is."

"I don't care," replied Nancy. "It's our house, you're our guests, who's she to turn you out? Jib-booms and bobstays, it's ridiculous to even consider it."

"Nancy, think about it. You said yourself that her main reason for coming here was to be beastly to your mother for having us to stay. She can't do that if we're not here. I'm trying to help you. For your mother's sake and for yours…"

"Don't you even _consider_ finishing that sentence John Walker!" hissed Nancy, sounding furious. "I will not have you putting yourself out for my sake, so don't you even try it. Mother would say the same. You're staying, and that's the end of it."

John started to get angry himself. Would the girl not listen to reason? He hated it when she refused to let him help her. Her independent streak, one he loved and hated with almost equal measure, often refused to even consider help, which really annoyed him.

"Why won't you listen for once in your life?" he suddenly exploded. "You're so sure you're always right that you never pay attention to what the rest of us have to say. Yes, I'm trying to be helpful, but I'm also trying to avoid making my family undergo the awkwardness of being interrogated by your Great Aunt, and putting up with the knowledge that we've made life difficult for you, your sister and your mother. So just try, for once liste…"

"I don't listen! What about you?" Nancy yelled, and they were off. A full scale yelling match ensued. The others winced, and collectively made the decision that they would ride out the storm in the garden, where the yelling would be less loud, and they could pre-warn Mrs. Blackett if they were still going when she got back.

"Honestly John, I can take care of myself. You don't have to look out for me all the time…"

"Who says I'm looking out for you? I'm just trying to stop you from getting us all into trouble through one of your stupid, thoughtless schemes like you always do…" Too late John realised he had gone too far when he saw the flash of hurt in Nancy's eyes. She turned away abruptly and began to run for the stairs.

"Nancy," John called after her, knowing that he should apologise. She did not turn round.

"Leave me alone John." She replied, continuing on up the stairs

"Nancy!" John called again, and this time she turned round. He saw her eyes widen as she span too fast and lost her footing. Acting on reflex, he jumped forward and up the first few stairs in time to catch her as she fell. To her credit, she made no sound except for a slight gasp as he caught her. He grabbed her around the waist and she caught his shoulders to steady herself. They stood like this for a moment before John murmured:

"Sorry."

Nancy smiled at him.

"It's alright, I overreacted. Anyway, you redeemed yourself just then by keeping me upright."

"You two have finished your argument the- oh sorry, am I interrupting something?" Susan walked in and John and Nancy jumped apart, both painfully embarrassed about their position.

"Heated discussion!" They said in unison.

"And what would you be interrupting anyway?" Nancy demanded, although she thought she had a good idea of what Susan meant.

"Well you seemed to be um… hugging so um… never mind" she said, trailing off under the glares they gave her. "I'm sure there's a good explanation for it. Anyway, Nancy your mothers back, and no, before you ask, she didn't hear you two yelling at each other. She says dinner's nearly ready, so we're to go and freshen up. She also said Nancy, that while she does not expect best frocks, she does at least want you in a skirt. I'll get the others, you two… march!"

With that she turned and went to retrieve the rest of the group and quickly filled Titty, Peggy and Dot in on the situation. They decided not to say anything- they valued their lives too much!- and quickly headed in to change.


	4. Right, that's settled!

**A/N: This is rather a filler-ish chapter.**

**Still not mine**

"So what do we do?" asked Peggy, once they had explained the situation to Mrs Blackett.

"Well obviously you can't just leave, what with your parents being out of the country, but at the same time, Aunt Maria can be, well, difficult. If only there was somewhere you could stay, but it's full at the Dixons and Holly Howe" She said to the Swallows and the Ds.

Dot suddenly had a brainwave:

"I could write to Tom. He invited Dick and I to Norfolk, but as we were coming here I said we couldn't make it. He wants to meet you all, so I could ask if we could go down there." Dick looked thoughtful.

"That's not a bad idea Dot. Write after dinner. If that's alright with you of course Mrs Blackett."

"That's a wonderful idea. Could you write to include Nancy and Peggy as well? Only, Aunt Maria is much more bearable when they're not around, and I am well aware that they also prefer to avoid her" She smiled slightly in a way that let the group know that she shared her daughters' feelings.

"Of course, Mrs Blackett, they were included in the invite. I believe Mr and Mrs Dudgeon were going away for a while which is why Tom asked us to stay. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few extra coming as well."

"Right then, that's settled" said Nancy forcefully. "Dot will write, and Mother, will you phone if we get a reply?" This being settled, they finished their meal.

Afterwards they went into the living room while Dot wrote her letter. Titty ran to fetch her sketchbook, and she and Dick retired to a corner to draw and discuss birds. Susan and Peggy were talking in another corner about the latest fashions, and, oddly enough, cooking. John and Nancy were discussing a decidedly more serious subject: the possibility of war with Germany. Roger was reading a book on engines and engineering.

The scratching of Dot's pen as she wrote, The sweep of Titty's pencil as she gave shape to her drawing, the turn of Roger's pages and the low murmuring from John and Nancy, and Susan and Peggy provided a pleasant backdrop to the room, and, watching them, Mrs Blackett found herself wondering if they would ever be gathered like this again. The situation with Germany made her think that the answer to that was no.


	5. Just don't tell my older brother

**Still not mine**

Tom replied very quickly. It would be fine, he said, for them to stay, as long as they didn't mind splitting up: boys with him, girls with Port and Starboard. Mrs Blackett phoned to thank them, and to arrange journey times. It was decided that they'd travel by train a few days after the telephone call went through. Frantic packing ensued.

"It's a good thing that you hadn't really unpacked and settled in properly yet," remarked Dot to Titty and Susan the day before they went. Having only been there a few days, the Swallows had not had time to settle in yet- it takes longer than five days to adjust to a house that is not your own.

"Do you think Tom will like us? And Port and Starboard, and the Death and Glories?" Titty asked. Dot laughed. She and Titty, being so close in age were best friends and Dot understood exactly why Titty was worried.

"I'm sure they will; they've wanted to meet you for ages." Dot shook her head then added in an undertone: "Anyway, their opinion of us wouldn't be affected by anything you did. They're sensible people." Titty was the only one who knew that she felt more towards Tom than just friendship- she didn't want to ruin things for her.

Reassured, Titty resumed packing. They were to leave early the next morning, so they needed to get everything packed that night. At least that was what Susan and Peggy said, and they ran the packing the same way they had run the galley aboard the _Wild Cat_. You did not mess with them when it was time to pack. Dot, although not finished herself, said that she should go see if Dick was okay- he could be hopelessly disorganised at times, but Titty volunteered to go instead; she was already done. This met with Susan's approval, although she shared a furtive look with Dot: each knew how their respective sibling felt about the other. As far as they were concerned it was only a matter of time before they sorted themselves out. They were both sensible enough to manage without interference from an outside party.

"What do you think it's worth betting that they'll be walking out together before we return from Norfolk? We're staying there for the whole summer- that's over two months- so they should have plenty of time to work things out. Just don't tell my older brother. He's hopeless. Let him work it out in his own good time and be ready to sit on him and call Nancy when he does. He has a tendency to overreact where Titty is concerned." Susan laughed. Overreact was an understatement. She'd lost count of the amount of times John had come home bruised or bleeding because someone had said or done something he saw as inappropriate towards Titty or herself.

"I'd noticed." Dot replied, smiling slightly. She'd seen a few occasions of this, and frankly prayed that Nancy was around when John worked out what was going on between her brother and his sister. Nancy was possibly the only person who would be able to keep him seeing reason. Or, failing that, she'd get annoyed with him and they'd have another 'heated discussion' which would be an effective distraction.

"While we're on the subject, what about John and Nancy? Surely they'll work out that they like each other soon." Dot asked Susan, grinning.

"You'd think so wouldn't you, but you never know. They've probably already worked it out, but are too stubborn to admit it. Or, they're convinced the other doesn't like them like that and are too blind to see otherwise. They're both quite impulsive though, so it may come out sooner than we expect. It's just a case of seeing which wins out: their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the obvious, or the sudden blurting out of the truth. It could be days or years where those two are concerned, so we may as well leave them to it. But what about you? Have you found anyone yet?"

Dot felt a blush rising to her cheeks. There was no point in trying to deny it now.

"I think so but… I don't know how he feels about me. I mean I'm just a plain ordinary girl with her head in the clouds, always off in some fantasy or another…" She remembered some of the other girls in her class telling her this after they'd overheard her friend asking her about Tom. Susan put her arm around her.

"That sounded verbatim."

"It was. There're some pretty spiteful girls in my class, but they're right in a way. I'm just me and Tom is…" She trailed off, realising that she'd just admitted to Susan who she actually liked. Susan however was in full on Big Sister mode.

"Dot, Tom knows you. He knows you're not just ordinary- you've helped him out of many problems before haven't you? So, if he's worth anything he won't be so shallow as to miss the girl on the inside through all the fantasy. Besides, I think plain might be pushing it a little bit." Susan smiled at her. "I'll tell you what. When we meet him tomorrow I'll be the judge of whether he is or isn't too good for you. Come on, let's go see what Titty's up to, then we can have some girl time before dinner. I think Mrs Blackett's asked Cook to prepare a special meal for us as we leave tomorrow, and I think she wants us to dress up a little. You go and retrieve Titty and I'll see if Nancy and Peggy want to join us."

Dot smiled and gave Susan a hug to say thank you, then went to look for her friend. Titty, it transpired, was trying to help the boys find Dick's tie. Eventually it was discovered to have already been packed, despite the fact that he was supposed to be wearing it that evening. Laughing, the two girls left the boys to get ready and returned to their room, where Nancy and Peggy had joined Susan armed with a curling iron. They headed in and began to get ready.


	6. Let's go knock them dead!

**I sincerely doubt Arthur Ransome concerned himself with make-up. He had far more important things to attend to!**

"Right," said Susan, adding the finishing touches to Titty's make up, "what do the rest of you think?" the others all looked up.

"Dick won't be able to take his eyes off you," Nancy teased from across the room where Peggy was trying to tame her hair. "Ouch Peggy you tame galoot, that hurt!"

"It was meant to you goat. Leave Titty alone. You look lovely" she added smiling at Titty's blush. Titty went in search of a mirror to see what Susan had done. She smiled when she saw her reflection and turned to face Susan.

"Thanks Su," she said grinning at her older sister.

"You're welcome," Susan replied, glancing up quickly from Dot.

Half an hour later, the girls were ready- just in time. They hadn't dressed up too much, just skirts and blouses, with slightly more attention paid to hair and make-up.

"Let's go knock them dead" Nancy announced. She'd enjoyed the whole things more than she'd expected to, to be honest. Perhaps it wasn't such a dreadful thing to be a girl sometimes.

John had to blink a few times when he saw his sisters. They didn't dress up very often it had to be said, so he was a bit shocked.

"You look lovely," he said, then added as Dot and Peggy walked into the room, "you all do."

"I hope I'm included in that statement Commodore," said Nancy as she entered the room with her mother. John looked taken aback. Never before had he seen Nancy Blackett dressed up. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but now he found himself wondering what she looked like really dressed up. Stunning, he thought to himself. Not that he'd ever tell her that. She'd keelhaul him.

"I'll take that as a yes" Nancy said, in response to his silence. "You might want to put your eyes back in your head though Skipper, you'll probably need them later. Jib-booms and bobstays, anyone would think you'd never seen me in a skirt before!" Despite her teasing demeanour, Nancy was a combination of pleased and embarrassed at John's reaction. He didn't look too bad himself, although she'd drop dead before she told him that.

"I haven't seen you in a skirt before." John tried to gather his composure. "I didn't even realise you possessed a skirt. So you understand my shock. Although yes, you do indeed look lovely." Saying this he offered her his arm, which she ignored, and they headed through together.

"Well Susan, I must say I'm impressed. I think even Aunt Maria would approve. I don't think I've seen my pirates so willingly dressed up before, especially Nancy…" Mrs Blackett chattered away as they headed into the dining room.

Nancy had left John and headed over to Titty.

"See what I mean?" She pointed at Dick who hadn't stopped staring at Titty since she'd entered the room. Her short blonde-brown hair was curled slightly round her face, and she had a hint of make-up on, and he felt like he'd never seen her before. He stuttered for a bit and eventually managed:

"You look beautiful," before turning red in embarrassment. Titty smiled shyly at him, and Nancy subtly left them alone, heading over to John who was watching the scene through narrowed eyes.


	7. Tell me honestly Nance

**Still not mine, more's the pity**

"John?" Nancy asked, waving a hand in front of his face until he looked at her. "Are you alright?"

He frowned in response, and got a determined look on his face. Nancy sighed inwardly, preparing herself for an outburst.

"Tell me honestly Nance; is there something going on between Dick and my sister?" Nancy bit her lip in response.

"Not exactly. There might be in the future but not right… John!" She grabbed his arm, stopping him from approaching Titty.

"Look. I understand that you want to protect your sister, but… listen to me." She made him turn and face her. "One, it's Dick. You've known him for years- you know you can trust him. Two, you're not going to be around all the time, so you're going to have to get used to the fact that she'll have to look after herself at some point. Three, it's time to eat so can you hold your overprotective issues in until afterwards please? Yes? Good." Without giving him a chance to respond, she dragged him over to the dining room. Susan caught her eye as she did, and rolled hers. 'Brothers' she seemed to say. 'Hopeless, the lot of them.'

"Well, are you all ready to go tomorrow then?" Mrs Blackett asked cheerfully, thankful that the Great-Aunt dilemma had been resolved so easily. "You must have an early night, all of you. Travelling is so tiring, and it is a particularly long journey tomorrow. So I want you all in bed by nine. You're still only young you know, so we must keep you from tiring yourselves out…" she carried on with these instructions, apparently oblivious to the scandalised glances she was receiving from Nancy and Peggy.

"Sorry about this," Peggy murmured to Susan. "She tends to forget that we're sixteen and seventeen, or at least, she claims to forget. I think she does it on purpose to tease us though really."

"…and of course, I shall be asking a conductor to keep an eye on you." Mrs Blackett was still going. "I cannot have children in my care travelling so far unaccompanied…" She would have continued along this thread but this was the last straw for Nancy.

"Mother! We don't need supervision for goodness' sake. John's eighteen, I'm seventeen, and Roger, the youngest of us is thirteen. Barbecued billygoats, we are perfectly capable of looking after ourselves. Dick and Dot _and _the Swallows travelled up here on their own, so I'm sure that together we can all manage."

"Calm down Ru- sorry Nancy, dear. I'm only teasing you. I am perfectly aware that you can look after yourselves. I still think, however, that you should get an early night. It's no good looking at me like that Peggy dear, it's true." The Blacketts gave up glaring at their mother and finished dinner in silence. After they're things had been cleared, Mrs Blackett left them and they headed to the sitting room.

Dot proceeded to interrogate her brother on what he had packed, while Susan, with Nancy and Peggy's assistance lectured John on how to handle Titty and Dick's relationship. Roger and Titty were worrying over Swallow, Amazon and Scarab, and whether they'd survive the journey to Norfolk, where they'd been sent down the day before.

Nine o'clock cane and went and it was nearer ten when Mrs Blackett returned and shooed them all off to bed. Excited about the coming day, they didn't argue, but it was a while before any of them got to sleep.


	8. He's not MY young man!

**A/N: I've added some to this chapter for those this is relevant to. It was a little lacking...**

**And still, this is not mine. Funny how that works...**

The peace that usually settled over the station at Rio at half seven in the morning was shattered by the arrival of the Swallows, Amazons and the Ds, all chattering excitedly. The train was on time- a good omen according to Nancy, it was normally late apparently. By quarter to, they were all on board and settled, although there had been a tense moment where all had expected an argument. John had attempted to help Nancy with her case, and instead of accepting graciously, she had exploded and informed him that she was 'perfectly capable of managing by herself thank you very much!' As Susan said to Peggy afterwards- 'You'd think John would have learned by now really.

After that, however, everything ran smoothly and the first part of the journey went quickly. Dot and Titty discussed Dot's latest story idea, Roger and Dick compared thoughts on steam engines, Nancy and John were planning for their arrival in Norfolk (argument forgotten) and Susan and Peggy were getting organised for changing trains. A little early perhaps, but there were quite a few of them, and they anticipated that the others would be useless.

Predictably, the arrival in Birmingham was much less peaceful than the departure, and things got more complicated. Pairing off, they made their way over to the next train, with John in front, seeing as he was the tallest. They made it without too much difficulty, a bit of jostling but nothing too serious. They climbed aboard and went looking for a free compartment. Finding one proved easier said than done. They found one with six free spaces, and one with two. It was agreed that John and Nancy, as the oldest, would take the carriage with only two spaces. At least, Susan and Peggy claimed it was because they were the oldest.

Rolling her eyes, Nancy hauled John over to the other compartment, missing the pleased glances Peggy and Susan exchanged with Dot and Titty. Luckily for them. They reached their places and sat down. An elderly lady who was sat next to Nancy smiled at them and began to talk.

"It's so nice to see young people walking out together, takes me back to my youth. What's your name dear and that of your young man?" Nancy went bright red, and John suddenly developed an immense fascination with his shoes.

"My name's Nancy and this is John. He's not _my_ young man though, we're just friends. We're travelling down to the broads together with our siblings and some other friends, but there wasn't room for all of us in one compartment so…" Nancy cut off, realising she was gabbling. The lady obviously didn't believe her.

"So you say my dear. Well if you're not courting now, I've no doubt you soon will be. What do you say young man?" This was aimed at john, who shot Nancy a look saying 'HELP.'

"Umm… well… we hadn't given it any thought. We're just best friends, honest ma'am." The lady smiled at them and decided not to press the matter. The young couple sat next to her would realise their feelings in time.

"Oh there's no need for that dear, John wasn't it. I'm Mrs Maybrook. So, you say you're visiting the Broads? I remember visiting as a girl…" She continued to tell them stories from her youth throughout the journey. She had led an interesting life, and John and Nancy were glad of this. It took their minds off the previous, rather awkward conversation.

xxx

The journey passed quickly with such an interesting companion, and it was with regret that John and Nancy took their leave of her on reaching Horning. This was soon replaced by excitement however as they disembarked and looked around for Dick and Dot's friends. It did not take long to spot them- the Coots had turned out in force to welcome them all.

"Dick! Dot! You're here!" Came from twins almost as unconventional in appearance as Nancy and Peggy. The Swallows and Amazons surmised that these must be Port and Starboard. The jury was still out as to which was which however. They did not have to wonder for long thought as the group hurried over to them to help with their things. Introductions were quickly made, and soon they were off, Titty wasting no time in asking the twins about Swallow. She had arrived safely she was relieved to hear, not a scratch on her, and was currently stowed in the Farlands' boathouse along with Amazon. Scarab was moored with Titmouse at the Gudgeons' and it was decided that a boat inspection would be the first order of the day. Settling in and getting to know each other could wait- everyone knew sailing was more important.

Satisfied that their boats were safe, the group split, boys heading with Tom and the girls with Port and Starboard (between whom they could now differentiate!) It was agreed that they would meet at the Death and Glory in an hour, once everyone was unpacked and freshened up.

Mr Farland was out, but the Amazons, Susan, Titty and Dot were introduced to Mrs McGinty, who far from being the loving tyrant they had been warned about was thrilled that "Nell" and "Bess" has what she termed 'suitable female company.' It was decided that they would not warn her what she was really getting in to. Ignorance is bliss after all...

Shortly after, having refused the offer of tea from Mrs McGinty, they were on their way back to Tom's, looking forward to planning their stay.


	9. Dick Was that, or was that not

**Oh how I wish it was... If wishes were fishes...**

On reaching Tom's the girls were greeted with tea and cake, a nice surprise given they had just had to turn some down. The boys seemed to be getting along well, perhaps a little wary of each other in some ways, but that was to be expected: they were all used to being leaders, it would have been more surprising if they had been immediately comfortable with each other. Food, plans and a good amount of chatter soon put that to rest though, and it was not long before Swallows, Amazons, Ds and Coots alike were talking away as if they'd been friends for years. It soon became clear that leadership was not going to be a problem. Nancy had that covered. The Coots were a little in awe of her.

"I thought you'd like to come and see some of the nests. Maybe you could draw some?" Titty smiled at Dick, slightly shy all of a sudden.

"That would be nice," she replied, and he grinned at her before leading her towards the Broads. As they walked, Dick reached over and took her hand. They continued in silence drinking in their surroundings.

They had yet to reach the first nest when they heard a voice calling from behind them.

"Dick Callum!" They turned, and Dick was surprised to see that he had been greeted by none other than George Owden. Remembering his previous experiences with Owden he tightened his grip on Titty's hand, wondering what he wanted.

"Didn't expect to see you back at the Broads this year. How's your sister? And who's your lady friend?" Dick nearly fell off his perch as Owden tipped his hat to Titty politely.

"George Owden, Titty Walker. My sister is well thank you. We've come down with some friends: Titty's brothers and sister" he put a slight emphasis on the word 'brothers' "and also two other friends." Titty offered a hand and George shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope you're enjoying your time in the Broads?"

"We've just arrived today actually. We went sailing earlier. I must say it really is quite beautiful down here."

"I was just going to show Titty some of the birds' nests. She likes to draw" Dick interjected. George smiled.

"Well I'll let you get on your way then. Good day Miss Walker." Tipping his hat again to Titty, he continued along the path they had just come from.

Titty was confused. She'd heard that George Owden was rude and an egg collector, but he had seemed perfectly friendly just then.

"Dick," she began, "was that, or was that not the George Owden who features as the main villain in 'Outlaw of the Broads'?"

"It was. But a nicer version it would seem. I think we'll have to ask Tom. He'll know what's up." Dick shrugged slightly, and they continued towards the birds' nests.

xxx

Meanwhile, back at Tom's a talk of a similar nature was taking place. Bill was telling the assembled friends how he had met Owden recently, and had managed a civil conversation with him. It transpired that they all had (barring the Swallows, Amazons and Dot) and no-one knew what could have caused the change.

"Maybe he's just become a better person?" Dot suggested, ever the optimist. The others frowned. This did not seem likely. It was a very sudden change if this was the case. Only two weeks ago he was as rude as ever and still held a grudge.

"I don't think that's likely Dot. It would have had to happen overnight and that only happens in stories." Tom didn't like letting her down, but in this case, felt that she shouldn't really be allowed to indulge her 'seeing-the-best-in-people thing'.

"Maybe he fell over and got concussion, then forgot everyth…" This suggestion from Joe was abruptly cut off:

"Barbecued billygoats, you can't really believe that can you, you tame galoot? Jib-booms and bobstays I've never heard such nonsense, not even from Peggy at her most goat-like. Shiver my timbers you should be ashamed!" The others (with the exception of John and Peggy who had been on the receiving end of similar tirades many a time) turned and gaped at Nancy, after her outburst. Peggy started giggling at their astounded expressions.

"I think you shocked them Nance," she said once she'd recovered. Nancy grinned at her.

"I have not the slightest idea what you could mean my dear sister. What could I possibly have said that could cause such astonishment? I merely expressed an opinion as to the lack of thought behind our friend's words." The others had managed to recover somewhat by this point, so were able to maintain expressions of slight shock, and look slightly less gormless.

"And that my friends, is why you never enter into a battle of words with Nancy Blackett. Just when you think she's surprised you as much as she can, she does exactly the same again. My lady, I salute you" John stood and bowed to Nancy as he said this, making everyone else laugh, especially when she nodded regally in return.

"Shall we just accept Owden's behaviour while it lasts and hope it continues? It might be easier for us all" this was a slightly more sensible suggestion from Susan, and just as she said it Dick and Titty returned.

"What's that about Owden? We just bumped into him when we were out walking. He seemed… different." Dick caught the tail end of Susan's sentence and decided to ask while the subject was still under discussion.

"He IS different. Don't know why, don't trust it either, but he seems to have had a personality replacement recently. It's actually slightly scary. What did he do to make you notice?" Port replied. Starboard nodded.

"He tipped his hat to Titty when I introduced them- don't look at me like that, it wasn't as if I had a choice- and referred to her as Miss Walker." Dick cheerfully ignored the looks of horror the Coots were giving him for introducing (subjecting) Titty to George and described the meeting.

Tom pursed his lips, deep in thought.

"Well, if it is a plot, I can't make it out. We'll have to do as Susan says and leave him to it. It may be that the change is entirely unrelated to us..." He did not look convinced by this, and the others shared his lack of conviction, but their options were limited so they had to agree. After all, there were so many of them, what could George do?

Dorothea, ever the writer, could have told them that those were famous last words...


	10. All out war was declared

**AN: This is rather a filler-ish chapter**

**Still not mine...**

It wasn't long before the Swallows and Amazons were settled in on the Broads. The common interest in sailing proved invaluable in bringing them together and the freedom that came from Dr and Mrs Dudgeon's absence, along with that of "our baby" as the Coots still referred to him, that sailing was always an option. The girls had similar freedom at the Farlands' but did have to maintain regular supper- and bed-times. Mrs McGinty was far more relaxed now that the girls were in their teens and was willing to allow supper and dinner to be taken away from home. With all this freedom, the Broads were to be thoroughly explored.

The problem of George Owden was still a mystery however. His manners were drastically improved, no-one could deny that, but neither could they explain why. He had made a point of calling to introduce himself to the Swallows and Amazons as well as to "offer his compliments" (his own words) to Dorothea! Even Port and Starboard had been the recipients of a tipped hat. Pleasant as the change was, it made everyone, especially the Coots, mildly uncomfortable. How do you act around someone you have spent most of your life cordially disliking? So, for the most part they tried to avoid him.

Avoidance proved difficult however. He seemed to be trying to see as much of them as possible, and even Roger was put off by the rudeness of outright running away. Owden seemed to have taken rather a liking to Titty, which she wasn't overly comfortable with but didn't know what to do about. So whenever she saw him, she made a point of standing as close as was decently possible to Dick (who was rather pleased by this but would never have said anything because of the circumstance) or staying by John and Nancy (who were even more of a double act since reaching the Broads). Naturally George was somewhat intimidated by John who was at least as big as he was and maintained a constant air of almost overwhelming competence. And everyone in their right mind stood a little in awe of Nancy. She was alarmingly confident and had the intelligence and the presence to carry it off. Between her friends, Titty felt safe from the overtures of one whom she would prefer to avoid.

Susan and Peggy surprised their respective siblings by quickly becoming firm friends with Joe and Bill- mostly through a shared love of organising people. Their personalities melded well and they soon became organisers-in-chief of the activities of the SAD&Cs enterprises. It took a formidable personality to stand against the four combined, and while there were several formidable personalities within the group, none were quite reckless enough to mess with the foursome. It soon became apparent that any and all adventures would be accomplished with an efficiency that was almost mind-blowing.

Roger and Pete were soon virtually inseparable, which came as a surprise to absolutely nobody. They both had a penchant for mischief and it wasn't long before they were playing jokes on the others at every given opportunity. Harmless pranks, at most annoying but it wasn't long before they got a little tiresome. At this point, Port and Starboard got involved and an all out war was declared. As long as no-one and nothing got irreparably damaged, anything went. Doorways were booby-trapped and after one particularly memorable retaliation on the part of Port and Starboard, feathers were everywhere… Here, Susan put her foot down and a truce was declared. When they were indoors however- outside, no-one was safe.

It was obvious to everyone that Dot and Tom would be going together by summer's end. Susan had taken Dot aside soon after arrival to inform her that Tom was "head over heels" for her (to adopt one of Nancy's favourite expressions) and that she didn't want to hear any more of that "not good enough rubbish." Dick had confided to Titty that Tom had been writing regularly to Dot since they'd met, something that was viewed in their family rather as a declaration of intent- now that they were old enough to know what a declaration of intent was that is. (John raised his eyebrows on overhearing this; Titty and Dick were also regular correspondents. Nancy elbowed him. He correctly interpreted this as an instruction to shut up, and did so.) Dick took it upon himself to start dropping hints in Tom's direction- he wanted to see his sister happy after all, and Titty had suggested he do something along these lines. It would mean more coming from him she said. He wasn't sure why, but knew Titty understood people better than he did so took her advice anyway. The fact that he never did anything without understanding didn't pass him by, but this was Titty- he'd follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked (question the logic of it yes, but he'd do it regardless.) They were getting closer as the weeks passed, and he was working up the courage to actually ask if she'd maybe like to go out somewhere one afternoon, just them. Assuming he could get the idea past John that was, but he knew Nancy was on his side so he wasn't too worried. Just mildly concerned.

At some point, John figured he was going to have to get his act together. Nancy had been more than a friend to him for a while now, and watching his sister and his friend pairing off (even if they hadn't quite admitted it yet) had gotten him thinking. Stubbornness was all very well and good he decided, but it was really about time he stopped pretending not to see what was clearly right in front of him. He loved Nancy Blackett, and if he didn't do something about it soon, he would miss his chance. War was on its way and he would be involved in that. Regardless of what happened, he wanted Nancy to know how he felt. Some might argue that he wasn't being fair to her risking her happiness with his life, but he knew Nancy. Whatever happened, she would want the opportunity to make her own choice. And really, how could he claim to love her if he took that away from her?


	11. He was rather looking forward to this

**A/N: This took rather longer than I'd thought it would... At least it happened though. It was a bit difficult to write at times because it goes completely against the grain to have the girls relying on the boys for safety/support etc. So i tried, but I'm not entirely sure how it worked...**

**Any views expressed on the nature of civility are entirely my own (but really, civility is at its best when you're dealing with people you'd really rather not- like friends of your grandmother...)**

**Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim...**

"Miss Walker, please, allow me." Titty just managed to refrain from pulling a face before painting on a smile and turning to face George Owden.

"Mr Owden, please don't trouble yourself on my account. I assure you, I can manage." Shifting her parcel to the other arm, Titty attempted to continue on her way.

"No, no I insist. I cannot in good conscience allow a lady to struggle and stand idly by." At this Titty had to make a conscious effort not to roll her eyes. Gallantry she was used to and didn't mind overmuch, but there was something in Owden's tone that put her back up. Besides, she resented the implication that she couldn't carry a parcel of linen because she was a girl. Really, Owden ought to meet the Blacketts. She neatly dodged Owden's attempt to take the package from her and for a second his expression of good-natured solicitude wavered- he looked angry. Then his smile slipped back into place, but not quickly enough to convince her she'd imagined it. She considered pushing him further, trying to break the facade completely but then common sense kicked back in- she was alone, and he was a lot bigger than her.

"Mr Owden really. Your concern is most appreciated but- get off!" He had attempted once more to take her parcel but had caught her arm instead. He did not appear inclined to let go.

"Now now Miss Walker, let's not make a fuss. Wouldn't want to cause a scene would you?" He leered at her, his hold on her arm bruising. She began to feel a little nervous. This annoyed her.

"Regardless, cause a scene I will unless you let go of me. At once." Her voice was icy. He looked taken aback for a second, then his grin widened.

"And here I thought you'd be a pushover. The easy target… You've got a lot more character than you let on, haven't you? He smiled to himself. "Well then Miss Walker, have it your way. Good day." Tipping his hat to her he let go of her arm and then walked away as if nothing had happened.

It was only the bruise on her arm that said otherwise.

xxx

John was furious. In fact, he was quite sure he had never in his life been this angry before. If it wasn't for his excellent (for an eighteen year old) self-control, he'd have already gone out and punched Owden in the face. Hopefully have broken his nose. Roger, Tom and the Death and Glories were in a similar frame of mind. No more was there to be a truce between them and Owden; he'd gone after one of their own. Then there was Dick. Up until this point, John hadn't even realised Dick had a temper, he was always so mild mannered. Apparently, the phrase "it's always the quiet ones" held true in terms of the Professor and his temper. He'd been the first one to notice the bruising on Titty's arm, stalking over and grabbing everyone's attention by demanding to know what had happened, who had hurt her. She'd tried to pass it off as just having knocked into something- she was always trying to keep them out of trouble- but by that point they'd all had a good look at her bruise and were having none of it. Tom was a doctor's son and Susan and Peggy were both excellent at first aid. If they said it was finger marks, finger marks it was. Under duress, Titty had told her story. During the telling of it, Dick had gone white with anger and he hadn't left Titty's side since. John found this strangely reassuring- everyone thought Dick had a calming influence. Hopefully he'd be able to use it on Titty (who was obviously a little shaken up) once he'd calmed down a little that is.

John felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to face Nancy. Outwardly, she appeared calm but he could see a fire in her eyes that reflected his own fury. Her hand tightened briefly before dropping back to her side and he took the unspoken message for what it was: 'don't do anything rash, we'll get him together.' He smiled slightly at her, they didn't need words anymore, not really.

Susan was rummaging through Tom's medicine cabinet, looking for some arnica for the bruise while the other girls sat round Titty and Dick in a show of silent support. Everyone looked at him:

"What are we going to do about him then?" Joe asked, clearly spoiling for a fight (as he and the other D&Gs had exclaimed, they may be sons of boatbuilders- apparently Owden liked to hold that one over them- but at least they knew how to treat a lady right.) They seemed to have taken the whole thing rather personally. Titty, John reflected, had a way of making people love her.

"Well, obviously we'll-"

"Nothing." That was Titty. John looked at her and saw the determination on her face. Then he turned to Nancy and mouthed 'all yours.' Titty might not be easily roused, but once she'd made up her mind, that was it. "We're going to ignore him. Take the moral high ground. It's the only thing we can do."

"Well I don't know about that" Nancy responded, he grin somewhat reminiscent of a shark. "I think there's plenty we could do. but it's your choice Able-seaman. You say we leave it, we leave it."

"Although we reserve the right to cut him if he tries to talk to us" Peggy chipped in, used to the way Nancy's mind worked. Nancy grinned at her and Susan and Dot nodded. John noticed Roger's expression and resolved to speak to him as soon as the group ended its council of war. Roger was almost ridiculously protective of Titty, probably because they'd always been left to do things together as the two youngest (except Bridget, but Bridget- much as they all loved her- didn't really count, she was so much younger than the rest of them and so much in the habit of going with their parents on adventures rather than coming with her siblings.) He honestly wouldn't put it passed him to go and look for Owden himself, and while Roger wasn't exactly small, he was still thirteen to Owden's nineteen.

He started paying attention to the conversation again. Apparently civility was still the order of the day when confrontation was unavoidable. Well, he supposed, being civil didn't automatically mean being nice. In fact, civility was generally something you displayed to people you didn't particularly like but didn't have the option of avoiding/ignoring. And if Owden objected to civility, well, at least John would then have an excuse to punch him in the face. So civility was all to the good (he tried, he really tried to convince himself of this.)

Actually, he was rather looking forward to watching Owden deal with Susan's particular style of civility. No-one did cold and cutting quite like his eldest sister, and with Peggy helping her they were formidable. No, civility could work.

Violent instincts aside, he was rather looking forward to this...


End file.
